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9/11 Memorial - South Pool (Photo credit: happyskrappy)

The tragic events of yesterday, eleven years ago, froze the breath in all our throats. So much unnecessary loss of life, so much tireless grief, so much disbelief at the magnitude of destruction.

The lives of the special people who were lost can never be replaced. The pain of their loved ones can barely be understood by others. The fracture of the global psyche can't be erased. And yet, the very next day, dawn broke again.

This following day was one of shock, anger, and silent tears. We reached out to each other, and to strangers, for comfort, consciously or not reaffirming our commitment to the values we hold as sacred. Starting, before anyone was ready, the gruesome work of retrieving lost souls, rebuilding belief, and learning to live in a changed world.

Yet this tragedy of tragedies catalyzed a powerful connectedness between us, a depth of resilience and sense of common purpose that we must cherish. The future is a shared story we write each day, and it's the strength we find in these bonds that we must use to shape a more tolerant, compassionate and equitable world.

This process has already begun, catalyzed by a sense of urgency in the face of multiple global crises and social technologies that link hearts, minds and hands in real time on an unprecedented scale. Empowering us to frame our work and personal lives around what we care about and the combined contribution we can make.

As we move forward let’s make this day after, and all that follow, meaningful for those we lost, those that share our lives and those yet to come.